


Unbutton and Unwind

by ThePencilRiot



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Dreambubbles, M/M, Makeover, Mention of Karkat Vantas - Freeform, fancy clothes, no beta read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:15:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27481834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePencilRiot/pseuds/ThePencilRiot
Summary: Eridan and Sollux try something different because there is absolutely nothing else to do. And so, Sollux allows Eridan to pick elegant clothes for him. They also talk about honesty.
Relationships: Eridan Ampora/Sollux Captor
Comments: 7
Kudos: 63





	Unbutton and Unwind

**Author's Note:**

> For the day 2 prompt in [ErisolWeek](http://erisolweek.tumblr.com/), Date time! As always I overdid it and took me two days instead of one. If you see mistakes please let me know. I rushed it, lol.

"This is ridiculous, you can’t make me."

Sollux groaned as he hung behind Eridan, a position that he wouldn’t otherwise occupy if this was anything other than an extraordinary situation.

"It’s _not_ ridiculous and I ain’t makin’ you do anythin’ you—" Eridan paused midsentence and then sighed. He continued a little more patiently but still had an edge to his voice. "Will you please try it on?"

Sollux rolled his eyes and made a show of conveying without words just how much he was going out of his way to resign to this circus. And Eridan interpreted that non-verbal complaint as approval as he swung another gaudy garment onto the crook of his arm. They have learned how not to drift into fights.

"You know I’m never going to actually wear any of these tacky clothes, right? I have absolutely no interest in being a fancy-ass maniac like you."

"You said you’d like to try it, though. And it’s not tacky, you just don’t have a sense of fashion. That’s why I am pickin’ them for you."

"I didn’t say _shit_. My exact words were “I don’t understand how you can wear this garbage”, then you said “This garbage is worth more than your entire livelihood, you gotta try it” or some crap, and _then_ I said “Make me”, and here we fucking are."

"Well, as I recall my words were “I bet you’d even look slightly good, you’re just envious you could never afford it."

Eridan’s words were softspoken, he was absently shuffling through clothes dangling from the wall. Today, Sollux thought, he was very tame for the usual Ampora. Even if he hadn’t expressed it openly, it was obvious Eridan was highly enjoying this. Sollux himself wasn’t so pumped about it, but it was this or awkwardly ignoring each other as their bubbles drifted through Paradox Space in a cluster of two. It was just their luck to be stuck with each other for who knows how long, and over time they’ve come to an agreement of fancying each other’s company for the sake of not going completely insane from loneliness.

"Just be quick about it." Sollux pinched the bridge of his nose. 

"I’m almost done, I just need to… and maybe pair it with this, yes…" Eridan trailed off as he put two or three hues of vests beside each other in a manner that Sollux thought was theatrical.

For Eridan though, this was as serious as he could get. It wasn’t about shoving in Sollux’s face the amazing world of being trendy and elegant, nor it was about showing off his remarkable ability for makeovers. Not like anyone would believe him if he said so aloud but he was thrilled to see Sollux in something other than old shirts with his symbol and baggy, fainted pants. The unusual fact that he accepted to do something like this wasn’t anything that Eridan would let go to waste, so you’d better believe he was dedicating himself to craft the best, most beautiful possible outfit Sollux will ever wear.

"Alright, go ahead and try these on for me." He shoved a simple black button-up and dressing trousers in Sollux’s graceless arms. "And don’t wrinkle them unless you want me to use your skinny ass as an ironin' board."

"Oh, I don’t knooow, are you sure this is my color?" Sollux raised a mocking eyebrow at Eridan.

"I _will_ punch you and bring out your natural colors." Eridan narrowed his eyes, but no disdain reached his words. "Go already."

Sollux did, between giggles, walk towards a fitting room. He slipped out of his comfortable clothes and bid them a sad farewell for now. As he put on into the strangely silky clothes that Eridan was harvesting from his bubble, Sollux couldn’t help but feel extremely out of his element. There was a mirror that he very much wished wasn’t there, and he didn’t quite love the way he looked so different from usual with these more fitted clothes. Dreadfully, he knew this was only the beginning.

"Are you done in there? I’m comin' in." Eridan’s voice came from the other side of the heavy curtain, but it remained undisturbed until Sollux responded two seconds later.

"Uh, yeah."

Then the curtain was thrown open and Eridan stands there with an arm full of clothes resting on his hip and a finger holding his chin. Sollux stiffens under his scrutinizing gaze and he thinks he might start sweating as if a damn dam broke. Suddenly he thought this was a very bad idea and he needed to yeet himself out of the situation.

"I think I changed—"

"You did it wrong." Eridan simply says halfway through his examination.

"What? How the fuck do you put clothes wrong? It’s not inside out, is it…?" Sollux looked down at himself and pulled a corner of the shirt.

"You’re supposed to tuck it in, let me."

Eridan took a step forward and Sollux _had_ to take a step back.

"Hell no, get your clammy hands way from me."

"Clammy?" Eridan gasped. "You’re going to mess it up, just let me do it and we’ll finish soon."

He tried to reach his hands again but Sollux slapped them away.

"Fuck off, just tell me if I do it wrong. If you really want to get your hands inside my pants this isn’t the way to do it." Then he turned around and started to fumble with the buttons of the trousers and tucking in the fabric of the shirt.

It was Eridan’s turn to roll his eyes. He crossed his arms because he didn’t know what else to do with them now that it was dawning on him what Sollux was implying. Swiftly, he tried to salvage his pride.

"If I had wanted to I would’ve done so already. After all this time I’d argue that you wouldn’t be able to resist my charm."

"Pffft—Hahaha!" Sollux laughed, hard and unrestricted. It was an honest sound, clear as the sound of waves, and Eridan had hardly heard him laugh like that. Would it be bad if he reveled in his fleeting ability to provoke such glee?

"W—what’s so funny?" He tried to sound upset.

"It’s funny that you didn’t actually mean that." Sollux said as his laughter fainted. He turned around, the shirt tucked-in to the best of his ability. "I feel like we’ve been stuck together for so long that I can finally pick the things you say from the things you feel."

"You think I wouldn’t be able to romance you even if I wanted?"

"I _think_ ," Sollux accepted a vest that Eridan handed him. "That you don’t think you’re charming enough."

"Oh, so now you’re psychoanalyzin' me. Your mutant brain couldn’t possibly understand the machinations that go on inside my royal consciousness."

"See, like that. You don’t mean that at all. Don’t you get tired of always overdoing things? This is what Karkat meant when he said you try too hard." Sollux draped the vest over his shoulders.

"That’s—"

"Ok, what I actually mean is that you don’t have to be that way anymore, it’s just the two of us here. Stop being so dramatic and be honest for once."

Sollux wasn’t meeting his eyes and he was oblivious to the absolutely dumbfounded face Eridan was wearing. Honest? He wanted him to be honest? What was Eridan all the time if not honest—Oh. Well. He guessed they _were_ alone in here, anyway, and it’s not like Sollux cared enough to mock Eridan into leaving altogether. If what Sollux wanted was for Eridan to unwind then he could very well do that.

"Alright."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Yeah, if you want me to I can “be honest” or whatever."

Then, Eridan took a step forward again, his hands pulled at Sollux's shirt to untuck it just so before the other one was fast enough to step away again, then they found the buttons of Sollux’s vest and worked on them. Sollux sputtered a few unintelligible sounds before he went dead quiet. _Now_ he was looking at Eridan and from this close, he could see his face had eased into something much more delicate. His sharper features seemed to offer a frame for a certain glow instead of setting his expression aflame. It made Sollux very nervous and he tried not to reject it because it actually wasn’t so bad.

"I can definitely do this myself you know?"

"But I want to do it, I want you to look good." Eridan said, and hell if Sollux didn’t know that was the most honest thing an Eridan had ever said to him. He promptly shut up.

Soon Eridan finished but he didn’t step back, he took a bowtie from the clothes he carried and daintily raised the neck of Sollux’s button-up and wrapped the ribbon around. "There. Now put this one on to top it off." He gave Sollux the suit coat, finally giving him room to breathe.

"I must look so stupid right now." He said as he fitted the coat around himself, his damp hands struggling a little with it.

"You don’t."

"C’mon, I thought you were being honest. This isn’t my style."

"Maybe, but you don’t look bad or silly." Eridan put a hand on his hip again and eyed Sollux up and down.

"I really do hope you’re enjoying this because _never again_."

Then Eridan smiled, it was mischievous but somehow fond.

"I do. I enjoy it. Vastly."

Sollux frowned, for lack of a better face to make when one is said words like that. Eridan took a comb from a hypothetical sylladex and waved it in front of him.

"Can I?"

"Absolutely not."

"Oh, don’t be like that. You might as well go all the way from gremlin to a decent enough troll." Eridan laughed.

And, surprisingly even for himself, Sollux crossed his arms and slouched in defeat. Eridan got close again and took the tip of his chin to raise his head into a manageable position. Then he _took_ Sollux’s glasses _off_ and shoved them into his sweaty hands. Sollux couldn’t do anything but stand still at this boldness.

"Don’t look down." Eridan cued.

Well, where the fuck was Sollux supposed to look at? Eridan was currently occupying all of his field of vision not to mention he just defaced him. Sollux felt his cheeks burn and he desperately tried to think of anything that would distract him from this torture. Eridan combed his hair into something that Sollux had no idea what it would look like. If he ended up all snobbish like Eridan he would prefer to die again.

"You know, If I’m being honest and all, I actually—Um, I don’t hate your haircut." Eridan said, his fins made a movement similar to a flutter, betraying any sort of resolute to act unfazed. "I know I’m always makin’ fun a’ you for lookin’ all scruffy but you got good points too, I guess."

"Really. Is that supposed to be nice?"

"At least I tried it to be."

Eridan looked away for a second, seemingly finished. He was finding it difficult to be so open and he was reminded why he wasn’t always true to his heart in the first place. It was all so extremely embarrassing.

"So?" Sollux put his glasses on again.

"What?"

"Are we done?"

"Oh."

Eridan finally looked at him again, taking a step back and ready to criticize his own work. He had to admit, he really had to, that Sollux looked next to magnificent. But all of this wasn’t worth it if he didn’t look at himself right now.

"Turn around." Eridan said in a confident voice.

Sollux didn’t have the strength to turn around and face the mirror though. He remained quiet. Glad his glasses were obscuring his eyes again. Eridan sensed his hesitation.

"It can’t be so bad, just turn around."

Sollux took a deep breath because he hadn’t noticed he was running short of air, then he turned.

There in the mirror was undoubtedly himself, yet it was a sight he had never seen before. His suit was black with golden framing the sleeves, the pockets, and the hems of the lapels. The vest didn’t match, it too was gold and it topped the black button-up in such a fancy way. It was the bowtie that brandished his signature red and blue, divided right down the middle into perfect halves. The outfit was a whispered statement, unmistakably modern, and it was the most elegant thing Sollux had the opportunity of ever touching.

"What the fuck is this?" He said and brought a hand to pat down the suit, looking into the meaning of it.

"It’s called having class." Eridan smirked. "You don’t like it?"

"I’ve never worn anything this luxurious, it feels weird. I feel like it costs money just looking at it." As he touched around he soon found a pair of brochures made of pure gold in his sleeves, his sign.

"You look good."

"What would I even wear this for? It’s impractical. At least I’m not wearing so much color, but..."

"You look good."

"And you just brushed my hair to the side and wrapped it around. I thought you’d put a little bit more effort—"

"Sol."

Sollux met Eridan’s eyes through the mirror. He was smiling brightly, and once he knew he had Sollux’s attention he put his hands on his shoulders.

"You look good." He repeated to his ear.

Sollux felt like Eridan paid attention to the blood rushing to his face this time.

"I hate it."

"No, you don’t. I know it."

"Fuck you, you can’t know."

"Oh, but I do. I feel like we’ve been stuck together for so long that I can finally pick the things you say from the things you feel." Eridan quoted him.

Sollux couldn’t help but smile. "Shut up, fish face."

Then, in one motion Eridan changed outfits with his sylladex to a black suit that had the exact same cut as Sollux’s, but every detail was Tyrian purple. Now side to side, Sollux had to admit it…

"Oh, I look way better than you." He smirked.

"If only because I allow it." Eridan had the rare idea to agree.

"I can’t believe you made us match, was this what you wanted from the beginning?"

"Obviously."

"And, where to?"

"Huh?" Eridan turned his head to face Sollux.

"I think that charm you were talking about was real after all." He boldly took a step forward, he knew he would regret this later when he switched into his blues but for now, let life be as red and bold as he wants. "Won’t you take me out?"

Eridan had no clue on how to respond to such an open flirt, normally it was himself who flirted. And the room suddenly felt a lot warmer. Quickly and very flustered, he muttered whatever place for a date that came to mind, although nothing sounded good enough. Finally, a sentence prevailed amongst the others. 

"Uh, I think I saw a city forming outside."

"Yes."

"We could, you know, pretend we’re not entirely alone."

"Pretend games, that's peak mad with lonliness."

"Though," Eridan's cheeks gleamed a slight shade of purple, "I’m starting to like it that it’s just you and me."

"Well, that’s one of us." Sollux laughed and shoved past him to exit the unexistent store.

"Hey!" Eridan went to chase him.

But then Eridan laughed because now they knew when the other was being honest.


End file.
